Emissions report lights up the road ahead

New Zealand is driving down its greenhouse gas emissions but must go further and faster, climate change minister James Shaw says of the newly released Fourth Biennial Report.

Projections of New Zealand’s net emissions in 2030 are shown by the report to be nearly 10% lower than previous projections in the Third Biennial Report with the transport sector producing about 20% of NZ’s greenhouse gas emissions annually.

Transport also represents more than 40% of New Zealand’s greenhouse gases from the energy sector.

“If we are to meet our 2050 zero carbon target much more needs to be done,” Shaw says.

Shaw says the decrease in projected emissions can be attributed to reduced energy use combined with less carbon-intensive fuels, more sustainable farm management practices and the One Billion Trees policy.

“One way to think about this report is as a useful summary of exactly where we are starting from now that our Zero Carbon Act has passed through Parliament,” Shaw adds.

“Our 2050 greenhouse gas emissions goal will not be achieved with a single piece of legislation alone. It will happen when government, businesses and local communities around the country take action together.

The Fourth Biennial Report is part of New Zealand’s reporting obligations as a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement.

It follows guidelines set by the UNFCCC covering climate change policy decisions and developments up until July 2019.

The Zero Carbon Act sets a new greenhouse gas emission reduction target for 2050, establishes the framework for a series of emissions budgets, establishes measures to plan for the impacts of climate change and sets up a new, independent Climate Change Commission to provide expert advice and monitoring.

Read a snapshot of the report here.